I usually use my fingertips to apply primer, tinted moisturizer, foundation, or concealer. I do have a foundation brush, but I’ve been inclined to believe I blend makeup better with my fingertips. So my foundation brush is currently lost somewhere in some bathroom drawer.

However, this beautyblender sponge has changed my whole outlook about face makeup applicators, especially sponges. Therefore, it beats out the foundation brush hands down. This applicator isn’t your average latex makeup sponge. Somehow it magically blends whatever I happen to be using from the very first sentence above, and I use less product than when using my fingertips. My face makeup looks so much better with this thing. Perhaps it’s because it’s the perfect size for makeup application – you can use the bottom flat end to apply makeup to larger areas of your face, and the small pointed end for areas such as around your eyes, nose, and chin. The pointed end is especially useful to spot apply and blend concealer. It sheers out the product you are using, so your makeup looks natural and not cakey. As for using the sponge, it should be dampened with water first. This is also so the sponge expands – you run the sponge under running water, wait for it to absorb, and squeeze out all the water. Then voilà, the sponge is ready. You can use really any makeup, whether it is “liquid, cream, powder, loose, or pressed”, and just gently press it into your skin in a “stippling or bouncing action, not a dragging motion across the face” (from beautyblender’s Sephora page). Believe me, you’ll get the hang of it.

Best of all, the beautyblender sponge is non-disposable, non-latex, and hypoallergenic. I’ve heard you can use a sponge for a couple months if you clean it daily (the company also sells an accompanying cleanser). I bought my sponges in a duo pack at Walgreens, so I imagine it is readily available. And even if you never try this sponge, my #1 advice to you is to always blend, blend, and blend.